1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to matrix bodies of rock bits and other cutting or drilling tools.
2. Background Art
Polycrystalline diamond compact (“PDC”) cutters are known in the art for use in earth-boring drill bits. Typically, bits using PDC cutters include an integral bit body which may be made of steel or fabricated from a hard matrix material such as tungsten carbide (WC). A plurality of PDC cutters are mounted along the exterior face of the bit body in extensions of the bit body called “blades.” Each PDC cutter has a portion which typically is brazed in a recess or pocket formed in the blade on the exterior face of the bit body.
The PDC cutters are positioned along the leading edges of the bit body blades so that as the bit body is rotated, the PDC cutters engage and drill the earth formation. In use, high forces may be exerted on the PDC cutters, particularly in the forward-to-rear direction. Additionally, the bit and the PDC cutters may be subjected to substantial abrasive forces. In some instances, impact, vibration, and erosive forces have caused drill bit failure due to loss of one or more cutters, or due to breakage of the blades.
While steel body bits may have toughness and ductility properties which make them resistant to cracking and failure due to impact forces generated during drilling, steel is more susceptible to erosive wear caused by high-velocity drilling fluids and formation fluids which carry abrasive particles, such as sand, rock cuttings, and the like. Generally, steel body PDC bits are coated with a more erosion-resistant material, such as tungsten carbide, to improve their erosion resistance. However, tungsten carbide and other erosion-resistant materials are relatively brittle. During use, a thin coating of the erosion-resistant material may crack, peel off, or wear, exposing the softer steel body which is then rapidly eroded. This can lead to loss of PDC cutters as the area around the cutter is eroded away, causing the bit to fail.
Tungsten carbide or other hard metal matrix body bits have the advantage of higher wear and erosion resistance as compared to steel bit bodies. The matrix bit generally is formed by packing a graphite mold with tungsten carbide powder and then infiltrating the powder with a molten copper-based alloy binder. There are several types of tungsten carbide that have been used in forming matrix bodies, including macrocrystalline tungsten carbide, cast tungsten carbide, carburized (or agglomerated) tungsten carbide, and cemented tungsten carbide. Tungsten carbide may be in the form of spherical pellets or crushed particles. Macrocrystalline tungsten carbide is essentially stoichiometric WC which is, for the most part, in the form of single crystals; however, some large crystals of macro-crystalline WC are bi-crystals. Carburized tungsten carbide has a multi-crystalline structure, i.e., they are composed of WC agglomerates.
Cast tungsten carbide, on the other hand, is formed by melting tungsten metal (W) and tungsten monocarbide (WC) together such that a eutectic composition of WC and W2C, or a continuous range of compositions therebetween, is formed. Cast tungsten carbide typically is frozen from the molten state and comminuted to a desired particle size. The last type of tungsten carbide, which has been typically used in hardfacing, is cemented tungsten carbide, also known as sintered tungsten carbide. Sintered tungsten carbide comprises small particles of tungsten carbide (e.g., 1 to 15 microns) bonded together with cobalt. Sintered tungsten carbide is made by mixing organic wax, tungsten carbide and cobalt powders, pressing the mixed powders to form a green compact, and “sintering” the composite at temperatures near the melting point of cobalt. The resulting dense sintered carbide can then be crushed and comminuted to form particles of sintered tungsten carbide for use in hardfacing.
Bit bodies formed from either cast or macrocrystalline tungsten carbide or other hard metal matrix materials, while more erosion resistant than steel, lack toughness and strength, thus making them brittle and prone to cracking when subjected to impact and fatigue forces encountered during drilling. This can result in one or more blades breaking off the bit causing a catastrophic premature bit failure. The formation and propagation of cracks in the matrix body may result in the loss of one or more PDC cutters. A lost cutter may abrade against the bit, causing further accelerated bit damage. However, bits formed with sintered tungsten carbide may have sufficient toughness and strength for a particular application, but may lack other mechanical properties, such as erosion resistance. Thus, previous efforts have instead relied on combinations of materials to achieve a balance of properties. Additionally, use of materials having wide particle size distributions have been relied upon so as to achieve a close packing of the carbide wear particles to increase wear resistance.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a new matrix body composition for drill bits which has high strength and toughness, resulting in improved ability to retain blades and cutters, while maintaining other desired properties such as wear and erosion resistance.